Minding Your Metabolism
Can You Avoid Middle-Age Spread?
\n ![\"Illustration](\"http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/files/jul2015/images/feature2.png\")
\n As you age, you may notice you have less muscle and energy and more fat. Carrying those extra pounds may be harming your health. It\u2019s easy to be confused by advice about diet and exercise, but they\u2019re key to avoiding weight gain as you get older. As you move through your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, you can take steps to help fight the flab that can come with age.
\nYour metabolism changes as you get older. You burn fewer calories and break down foods differently. You also lose lean muscle. Unless you exercise more and adjust your diet, the pounds can add up. Middle-age spread can quickly become middle-age sprawl.
\n\u201cAt some point, everyone loses muscle mass as they get older and gains abdominal fat,\u201d says NIH\u2019s Dr. Mark Mattson, an expert on aging and exercise. The so-called couch-potato lifestyle is the main culprit behind middle-age spread. \u201cOver-eating and leading a sedentary lifestyle can speed up age-related changes in metabolism,\u201d Mattson says.
\nOne key player in age-related changes is a chemical called leptin, which helps your brain tell you to stop eating. Leptin signals don\u2019t work as well as you get older, so you might continue to feel hungry even after you\u2019ve eaten. Obesity makes leptin even less effective.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s a reward part to everything you eat,\u201d says Dr. Josephine M. Egan, an NIH expert on diabetes and aging. \u201cYou get the taste of the food. You feel good. Normal-weight people will satisfy cravings by having a small amount of what they crave.\u201d As both the years and the pounds add up, however, you may need to eat more of what you crave to get the same pleasant sensation.
\nBoth aging and obesity can also bring changes to the way your body processes glucose\u2014the sugar your body makes from food and uses for energy. These changes can lead to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease, blindness, amputations, and other conditions.
\n\u201cObesity increases the risk, and reduces the age of onset, for many diseases of aging,\u201d Mattson says. \u201cOver the long-term, even our brains are affected. Emerging evidence suggests that long-standing diabetes and obesity can lead to changes in brain cells that make them vulnerable to aging.\u201d
\nAs you move beyond your 50s, you\u2019ll probably need fewer calories. But it\u2019s also important to maintain proper nutrition, so don\u2019t skimp on healthy foods. Weighing too little and weighing too much are each linked to poor health, especially in older people. For tips about healthy eating after age 50, visit NIH\u2019s What's on Your Plate? Smart Food Choices for Healthy Aging.
\nExercise and moving are also important. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter what your age is; physical activity is good for you,\u201d says Egan. Be sure to talk with your health care provider about safe ways to adjust your activity patterns as you get older. If you have a specific health issue that you\u2019re concerned about\u2014such as arthritis or a recent surgery\u2014ask for tips to help you exercise safely. Work together to choose activities that are best for you.
\nFocusing on physical activity and healthy eating are the keys to avoiding middle-age spread and the health problems that can come with it. NIH\u2019s Go4Life exercise and physical activity campaign is designed especially for older adults. For tips to help you get started, make a plan, set goals, and more, visit https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/.
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